THE Saxo was to boy racers what hares are to whippets and Citroen is more than a little keen to try to ape that success with its new performance supermini, the C2 VTS.

The manufacturer's target market is all too clear - unlike the meaning of its "urban cool" marketing mantra.

This is what it believes sets the VTS apart from the competition and will help it to recreate the success of its forebear. But what on earth does it mean?

Can countryside folk have urban cool? Is the emphasis more on the "urban" or the "cool" aspect? Does this mean that Moss Side and Peckham are now officially trendy? So many questions thrown up by just two little words. Blast those pesky marketing men...

Let's assume for a minute that such a thing does exist and that it is quantifiable - does the C2 VTS have what it takes to cut a dash in Croydon city centre or turn heads along the Plymouth promenade?

It certainly looks the part from the outside with its standard 16-inch alloy wheels, flared arches and sporty spoiler.

Detractors will doubtless draw attention to the bubble car profile, but the VTS (pictured) styling treatment gives the C2 the impression of having spent a bit more time down the gym.

Performance statistics can often leave you feeling a little cold when written on a piece of paper.

And so it is with the Citroen's official nought-to-60mph time of 8.3 seconds. "Big deal", I hear you say. But on the road the C2's engine emits a frantic whine as it revs all the way round to 7,200rpm, making it feel a lot faster and more dynamic.

Top speed is apparently 126mph, but you'd need to be either very brave or very deaf to achieve this as the engine and wind noise would be unbearable.

Thankfully, Citroen has decided not to feature the flappy paddle SensoDrive gearbox seen in the earlier VTR model, which was too fussy.

The five-speed manual transmission used in the VTS is far superior. Only short throws of the aluminium gear knob are required to race up and down the gearbox on bendy B roads.

The aluminium pedals, proportionally large steering wheel and well-bolstered seats may even draw out the rally driver in the young (or young at heart) buyer.

A tuned chassis, uprated shock absorbers and thicker anti-roll bars are charged with sharpening up the C2's handling and they manage the task well.

The supermini sticks to the road ably and holds the correct line into a corner without protest.

The only problem is that, as with so many cars in this market, the steering feels unconnected and vague, making you ease off long before the car would step out of line.

These ultra light electrically-aided steering systems are all fine and dandy in the local NCP, but in what purports to be a hot hatch they can be annoying.

While some interior materials have a budget feel to them, the overall feeling one derives from sitting in the C2's relatively spacious cockpit is one of value for money.

Standard air conditioning, electric windows, a rake/reach-adjustable steering wheel, aluminium detailing, a CD player and leather steering wheel in a small car costing under £12,000 is a real boon.

The insurance group has been kept low with help from security experts Thatcham. The VTS only merits a group eight rating (that's six groups lower than the Saxo VTS) - very handy when your primary target group is of the young, male variety.

It remains to be seen whether or not the C2 VTS will appeal to members of the Max Power generation in the same way that the Saxo undoubtedly did.

It is an attractive package with good performance, low asking price and one year's free insurance, but with its questionable looks, are these incentives good enough to tempt buyers?